MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. The authorities of Canada did well in deciding to grant entry visas to Russian chess players bound for the 2024 FIDE (World Chess Federation) Candidates Tournament in Toronto next month, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
"On the whole it is very good that we were granted visas," Peskov told journalists. "Only one of our coaches had been denied an entry visa and he will be substituted. This is positive news in general. Our athletes will be participating in the tournament and this is what is most important. We will root for them [Russian chess players] and wish them victory."
A source close to the situation told TASS on March 2 that Toronto was likely to be stripped of its right to host the 2024 Candidates Tournament due to problems regarding the issuance of entry visas for Russia’s female chess players.
Peskov, who is also the chairman of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) Board of Trustees, noted at that time that problems with Russian chess players obtaining visas were inevitable "amid the ongoing madness" in the West, but they could be solved.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich announced to TASS earlier in the day that all participants bound for the 2024 Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto have been granted Canadian entry visas.
Chairman of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev told TASS commenting on the Canadian authorities’ decision that: "The authorities of Canada acted adequately in this particular case."
"A previously issued warning by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) that the country could be stripped of the right to host such a representative tournament certainly played its role as it [Canada] is obviously omitting new scandals," Svishchev said.
"This decision is also a manifestation of recognizing the Russian school of chess as the strongest one," the Russian lawmaker continued. "No matter how high the motivation can be, the issuance of Canadian entry visas to Russian players may be a perfect example setting a precedent for other countries."
The Canadian city of Toronto is set to host the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament from April 3 to 23 both in men and women’s competitions.
In the men’s competition, the 2024 Candidates Tournament will pit eight players against each other, with the winner earning a spot in the 2024 World Chess Championship. In the women’s draw, it will also be an eight-player chess tournament, giving the winner an automatic berth in the 2025 FIDE Women's World Chess Championship.
Russian Chess Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi has qualified for the men’s competition, while Alexandra Goryachkina and Yekaterina Lagno earned spots in the women’s competition at the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament in Canada.
Russian sport of chess under sanctions
On February 28, 2022 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments because of the special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February last year, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
On March 16, 2022 the FIDE barred athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments. The organization, however, allowed representatives of these countries to play individually under the flag and logo of FIDE.